Bullock’s Infrastructure Record: Can’t Get the Job Done

Governor Bullock had three and a half years to sign an infrastructure bill into law and he failed to get the job done. Now, Bullock announced a new infrastructure proposal today. Well, this comes too little too late. Bullock’s failed leadership is exactly why Montana hasn’t seen an infrastructure bill.

In 2013, Bullock VETOED a critical Infrastructure bill for Eastern Montana after the bill passed both chambers of the Legislature by wide bipartisan margins.

Bullock could have signed an infrastructure bill that was less focused on his pet projects in Helena but instead, he demanded Montana go into debt and remained adamant that all his pet projects were fully funded.

The Billings Gazette warned Bullock against taking Montana into debt to pay for our infrastructure needs: “It makes more sense to avoid the cost of borrowing and use available cash to help address the urgent infrastructure needs.”

The Billings Gazette urged Bullock to support a fiscally responsible proposal: “He needs to reach out to Republican and Democratic lawmakers to craft a fiscally responsible grant proposal that actually can pass the Legislature.”

Did Bullock listen? No. Montana had the cash-on-hand to pay for our critical infrastructure needs but he remained adamant Montana go into debt.

The stalwart-liberal ideologue George Ochenski blasted Bullock for his all-or-nothing approach: “That Bullock sought to abandon long-held legislative protocol with his “all-in-one” spending bill is a mystery in itself.”

Ochenski even called-out Bullock’s hypocrisy: “It is disingenuous of Bullock to insist that these projects are vital to the state’s interest – so much so that they require $212 million in bonds – yet threaten to veto the bills containing them unless the legislature funds them through his single infrastructure spending bill.”

Bullock’s the reason communities haven’t seen any infrastructure funding under his watch. A Republican Governor will get the job done where Bullock has failed and sign an infrastructure bill into law.